A Certain Delicious Strawberry
by Fubuki DD-35
Summary: In a city full of people that have the potential to control anything from the elements to the very molecules in the air, standing out from the crowd can be a challenge. However, having such a strange ability as to spread the delectable taste of strawberries can do just that.
1. Wake Up and Taste the Strawberries

"Theft, evading arrest, and the destruction of public property," Kuroko Shirai listed off, "in addition, you almost managed to kill yourself when you jumped through that window. In fact, you would've been a goner if I hadn't managed to catch you," she stated as she focused her gaze on the snickering teenage boy sitting on the sidewalk, leaning against the brick wall of the Seventh Mist shopping complex. "And all for what? A pair of sunglasses?" Shirai questioned as she brushed her auburn pigtails behind her shoulder and adjusted her bright scarlet bows in her hair.

The young lad finally managed to cease his quiet chuckling as he looked up to the petite Judgement officer. "Well to prove that I could do it!" the dirty blonde haired teen bluntly stated with a smirk.

Shirai raised an eyebrow in question as she continued to stare down at this most peculiar boy. He was strange, she couldn't get a read on him. He definitely didn't look very threatening, he wore a fairly nice pair of jeans with a white dress shirt sloppily tucked inside, nothing spectacular. The bright pink tie he wore certainly didn't give off any threatening vibes, either. "And to whom are you trying to prove yourself to?"

"Why, to myself of course!" the boy exclaimed.

Shirai blinked and tilted her head in confusion.

"I can see you're a bit stumped at the moment, so allow me to explain it to that simple, little mind of yours," he told the now offended officer as he quickly stood up from the heated concrete sidewalk. "You see, I've got a standard to uphold!"

"Standard? Just who the heck are you?"

"'Who the heck am I?'" he asked, a shocked look appearing on his face. "Humph, figures," he mumbled under his breath as his smirk doubled in size, "I'm the extraordinary! The unbelievable! The Legendary Level One!"

Shirai just stared at him with a blank expression, "Yeah… sure. Anyway-"

"Mark Fragum is the name!" he loudly declared, cutting her off, "I'm one bad strawberry, if yah catch my drift. Some would consider him a lowlife, as impel kleptomaniac, others might even call him a nobody. But to those that are aware of his various feats of villainy, he's a master thief! Whose skills in the art of stealing are unmatched!"

Shirai released a quiet sigh of annoyance as she lifted her phone, preparing to contact her friend and colleague Kazari Uiharu, who was currently at the Judgement 177th branch office. After waiting a few seconds, she was finally able to reach her. "Ah! Uiharu! We're you able to get-" she stopped as an overwhelming taste of strawberries overcame her. She shook her head trying to regain her focus, but she just couldn't concentrate, this taste, it was so strange, so sweet, and it just came out of nowhere, could this be...? A small tap on the shoulder snapped her back to reality.

"Hey! You know, it's very rude to ignore someone!"

Shirai glanced back to him, as the strong taste of strawberries began to fade away. Mark gave her a wide toothy grin, and a quick wink, "You know, I wasn't done talking! Ignore me again and I just might have to hit 'cha with another round of my extraordinary strawberry ability!"

* * *

"So, after that lil' conversation, I was picked up by Anti-Skill and sent through the system, chewed up in a court room and spit out two weeks later, forced to do two months worth of community service!" Mark sighed, "I mean, what has the community ever done for me? It's an injustice, I tell yah! All I did was take a pair of sunglasses and hop out a window, nothin' big! But here I am, sent to this junkyard, Judgement Branch Office 177, forced to clean up after a bunch 'a school girls! It's torture I tell yah! Torture! I'm basically a slave!" he complained as he leaned back in his small cushioned office chair as he shifted his bright emerald toned gaze towards the petite young officer of Judgement, the same young officer that had actually apprehended him in the first place.

Shirai glanced towards him for a quick second before looking back towards the computer monitor that sat before her. "I'm aware of all this, I was there every step of the way." she reminded him as she continued browse her desktop.

A small pout formed on his face as he began to spin around in his chair, "Well, it wouldn't be so bad if there was something to do! All I've done so far is pick up a few boxes of milk, I thought I'd be beating up bad guys! Saving smokin' babes! But NO! All I get are janitorial duties, how lame."

Shirai just continued to stare intently at her computer monitor.

"Not gonna lie though, when I heard the Office had a female majority, I got kinda excited! Thought I'd be swimmin' is chicks by the end of this!" He stated, as he looked up to the ceiling and began to lose himself in his own wild day dreams; he could just imagine himself sitting on a beach, surrounded by various scantily clad women. Heaven! But his little fantasy was suddenly shattered when a quiet voice called his name.

"Mark, could you please come over here for a second, it won't take long," called out Kazari Uiharu, a small girl with short black hair, brown eyes, and a crown crafted out of flowers. "I just need you to sign off on a few things."

Mark released a long, exaggerated sigh as he forced himself towards her desk, "Whatever Flowers, let's just make this quick."

"Alright, so I noticed that any official data on you is a bit dated, I'm still looking into it all, but I just need you to sign off on what I've found so far," Uiharu explained.

Mark just looked at her with a questioning look, "Seriously? Why didn't this all happen during the court proceedings?"

Uiharu gave a small shrug. "I'm not sure, all they bothered to look into was your criminal record, besides that, they left the rest for me, not like it's an issue."

"Whatever, let's just get this over with!"

Uiharu sighed in response to the boy's impatience, "Alright then, I'll try to make this quick."

"Please do."

"Alright, you're 15 years old, you were born in New York, and you were sent to Academy City when you were only nine years old. You were classified as a level two esper, your ability is officially known as 'Sensory Manipulation', like it states so bluntly, you can manipulate the senses of almost any individual, but..."

"But what?" He asked, glancing towards her with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." Uiharu began as she continued to scroll through his information, "you seem to be a bit, well, unique when it comes to Sensory Manipulation."

Mark just rolled his eyes, "Yeah, tell me something I don't know," he muttered with an annoyed tone.

"In any other case, you would be classified as a level two, due to the strong influence you have on ones senses, but you can only make others taste one thing: strawberries. That seems to be the only thing you can make others taste, thus you're a level one."

"Yeah! I call the effect Strawberry Jam! Now, I didn't just come over here just to hear my life's story, did I?"

Uiharu just nodded a bit, "I just need you to say that's all true."

"It's all good."

"Alrighty, If I find anything else I'll call you over."

"Please, don't hesitate," he said with an underlying tone of sarcasm. He stood up, with a small hop in his step, "Later Flowers." He ruffled her short jet black hair, causing her to blush lightly. "Yo Pigtails!" he called out to Shirai as he walked up to her.

Shirai looked up from her monitor and shifted her focus towards the teen, "Hmm? Yeah, what is it?"

"There has to be something to do around here. Something! I'm tired of just sitting, waiting for something to happen."

Shirai just shrugged, "Sorry, Judgement isn't fun and games, and besides, you're here to repay your debt to society, not to play around." she stated, leaving it at that. A long awkward silence filled the room, as the three bored teenagers just sat around, waiting for some event to transpire. But, this silence did not last long, as a loud knock resounded from the door.

Uiharu got up to answer it, but it didn't matter, as the door suddenly burst open, and in walked a bright blue eyed young lass, with long black hair, and a single white flower sitting prominently on the left side of her head. She wasted absolutely no time whatsoever, as she quickly darted towards Uiharu.

"U-i-ha-ru!" She shouted with a playful tone, as she flipped the short black haired girl's skirt high into the air, exposing her panties for all to see. "Ohh~! I see you're wearing pink polka-dots today!" she exclaimed, causing Uiharu's face to glow as red as a tomato. "Seriously, what am I going to do with you? Wearing such childish panties!"

"Psh, you're one to talk," a male voice intruded. The long black haired girl slowly looked back, only to see a blonde teenage boy that she had never met, lifting her skirt and staring intensely at her underwear.

"I mean look at this!" Mark uttered, "Stripes, really?" he commented as he continued to critique her choice of underwear. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's all real cute, but, it's sorta like a stray cat, everyone thinks it's adorable, but nobody wants to touch it, get what I'm dishing out?"

Nobody responded, Shirai's jaw just dropped as she stared at him, a look of shock on her face. Uiharu was no better, her cheeks were now redder than ever, and the long black haired girl, she was blushing of course, but also laughing over the whole situation, it was a kind of laugh one would make after embarrassing themselves, a laugh one utters in an attempt to defuse a situation.

"S-Saten...I-I am so sorry about him!" Uiharu managed to stutter.

The newcomer, apparently named Saten just continued to laugh awkwardly.

Mark continued to examine the girl's underwear, "Please Uiharu, it's no big deal, I'm just examine this girl's under garments. She did it to you didn't she? So what's the big deal if I look up her skir-!"

Mark was suddenly cut off as a jolt shot through his veins, feeling like he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, like he had just rammed a bobby pin into an electrical socket and held it there, taking shock after shock.

"Who do you think you are, huh? Some kind of pervert?!" an unfamiliar voice shouted. Mark actually managed to look up to the source of the voice. Through his hazy vision, he could see a girl with light brown hair with eyes similar in color. She had an expression of anger, annoyance, and disgust.

"I mean, really! You just looked up a girl's skirt that you've never even met!" the aggressor continued.

Mark managed to lift his twitching body up and began to limp over towards the girl.

"Y-yeesh, I-I'm sorry okay?" he managed to utter. "I g-get it though! You're just a bit jealous r-right?" he asked as he continued to stagger towards her, "I guess you don't get many admirers, do yah? And here I am just looking up random girls' skirts, and your just hurt because I didn't consider how others felt, you're probably thinkin' 'Oh man, why isn't he looking up mine?!' I get it, don't 'cha worry abou-!" he was suddenly cut off again as he was hit with another bolt of electricity.

Shirai, still sitting at her desk, looked up at the short tempered girl and sighed, "Come now Sissy, I know he's a bit hard to deal with, but I'm pretty sure you could tone it down a bit."

Saten, managing to stop her laughter, responded with "It's alright Misaka, you didn't have to shock him! It's really not that big of a deal."

The brown haired girl, now known as Misaka, continued to blush, much like the others. "Not that big a deal?! He looked up your skirt! And you don't even know who he is!"

Saten chuckled a bit as she scratched the top of her head. "Yeah, I'm not going to lie, that caught me a little off guard. But just look at him!" she said as she looked down to the strange young lad, who now smelled of smoke and ozone due to the electrical shocks. "I think you might have over done it a bit."

Misaka glanced down to him, he was still conscious, and looking up at her with an dazed smile. She sighed and rubbed the back of her head, embarrassed over the whole ordeal. "Yeah sure..." she trailed off. "Anyways, who even is this guy?"

"NO!" Shouted Shirai, trying to stop her 'Sissy' from asking the question.

But she was too late, Mark hopped up onto his feet with a grace that a boy that had just been zapped by lightning should not have had and raised his hand into the air, "Allow me to answer that for you! I am the Legendary Level One! Allow me to tell you of my many feats!"

Shirai released a long sigh as she slammed her head down onto her desk, causing a loud *thump!* to echo throughout the room.

"Hey!" Mark called out to her, "You know, it's very rude to interrupt someone! So keep it down, unless yah want a taste of my Strawberry Powers!" He then smirked as he turned his focus back to Misaka. "Anyways, you might wanna get ready, 'cause this'll be a story for the ages!


	2. A Discourse of Coffee and Strawberries

"Boredom," Mark mumbled out loud as he lazily leaned back into his rolling office chair, "a state in which one is feeling weary because they're unoccupied or lack interest in their current activity," he continued as he began to push himself towards Uiharu, who was currently focused on her computer screen, no doubt looking into another one of Judgement's many cases.

"I'm sorry you're feeling unoccupied, but there isn't much you can do for us right now," the girl responded as she focused on her monitor.

"Come on Flowers, I can only clean this place so many times!"

"You haven't cleaned it once," Uiharu remarked as she continued to work.

Mark huffed as he continued to inch towards the flower crowned egghead. A sly, yet playful grin began to sprout across his face as he placed both his hands onto her shoulders and leaned towards her. "You know, you're looking awfully cute today Flowers, did you add some roses to that bouquet on your head, or have those always been there?" he flirted as he leaned his head across her shoulder, parallel to her own.

Uiharu began to blush immensely as she struggled to maintain her gaze on her work, "M-Mark, please, just let me work," she asked with a fumbled, yet determined tone in her voice.

"Come on, you should try to relax~" Mark persisted.

Uiharu shuttered at every word he spoke. It took every little ounce of her will to not flip around and kick his strawberry scented behind. "Why don't you go bother someone else for once?"

"Psh, cause you're the only one worth the time Flowers!" he responded. "Shirai's out doing God knows what, plus I'm sixty-eight percent sure that she plays for the other team, if you catch my drift."

She chuckled ever so slightly at that last remark of his. It was no secret that Kuroko wasn't very attracted men… or whatever you could call Mark.

"So, let's say you and me get out of here, and have a bit of fun~" Marked offered once more, with perked lips, and bright emerald eyes that just screamed 'desperate.' "I swear toots, I might look like your typical kick ass hero, but I'm as sweet as a strawbe-!" His failing attempts at flirtation were abruptly halted as he was suddenly yanked away from Uiharu and slammed onto the floor. He struggled to retaliate against his assailant when a furious surge of electricity pulsed through his veins, leaving him temporarily paralyzed.

Uiharu didn't even seem fazed by the whole ordeal, she just sighed and continued at her work. "Thanks Misaka."

Mark struggled to gasp for air, the wind having been knocked straight out of him by the sudden impact of his body against the floor. He was able to look up at his attacker, only to see the same light brown haired girl that had shocked him profusely almost every single day for the past week or so. Her brown eyes seemed to glow red with pure, unadulterated fury.

"How many times do I have to tell you?! Hands to yourself!" Misaka shouted with a tone that echoed the very hounds of Hell itself. "I mean really! I'm surprised nobody here has pressed any charges on you, you pig!"

"N-nice to s-see you too Sparks," Mark managed to say.

Misaka just huffed and turned away from the wincing pervert. She made her way towards Uiharu who was still looking through the many documents that littered her monitor's screen. "Geez, I haven't seen you this fixated on your work in a while. What's going on?" she asked as she looked at the various files and documents on the display.

Uiharu didn't even turn to face her friend, instead she continued to cipher through the files. "It's not good. Shirai and I have been a bit obsessed with this current case we've been working."

Misaka glanced down to her friend with a concerned look in her eyes. She couldn't fathom how stressful Judgement work must be, but its toll was already beginning to show. Uiharu looked exhausted, even a bit malnourished, but determined. Misaka hadn't seen that of Kuroko lately either, only seeing her in the morning and late at night before bed. "Well, what's going on?" Misaka persisted.

Uiharu rubbed her eyes slightly, expressing her own exhaustion, then began to open a few picture files on her desktop. Each image looked worse than the previous; displays of compact destruction and even some splashes of blood here and there, crumbled alleyways, destroyed vehicles, impact craters in the road. Almost like they were all aftermaths of separate, yet immense battles for survival. Yet in each image, there were no bodies, no corpses, not even any traces that a human once stood there, only debris.

"What is this?" Misaka almost hesitated to ask "Those look like warzones!"

Uiharu just sighed as she continued to stare at the images. "To be honest, I haven't the slightest idea," she answered with an almost defeated tone of voice. "All these images were taken by various passersby; there were no witnesses for what actually happened."

"Have you reported this to Anti-Skill yet?"

Uiharu nodded woefully, "Multiple times now, but every time we do, we keep getting brushed off."

"What!?" Misaka asked, obviously unnerved by this information, "how could they just ignore this!?"

"Well, to be honest, we're not sure if they're real," Uiharu answered, "If you go to these areas now, you won't see a single trace of any of these, it's almost like nothing ever happened… Everything just seemed to clean itself up before Judgement or Anti-Skill could respond."

Misaka just looked at the displays of mayhem.

"We're not sure if its real, or just some horrible prank…" Uiharu muttered, as she struggled to hold back the tears that were beginning to swell in her eyes.

Misaka just sighed, she could tell that this case, real or not, was really affecting her friends. "Where's Kuroko?"

"She's out questioning any potential witnesses."

Misaka nodded as she lightly patted Uiharu's shoulder, in an attempt to comfort her. "Maybe you should take a break, you've been working yourself half to death," she commented with a concerned tone in her voice.

Uiharu nodded in agreement as she began to lean back in her chair, "Maybe you're right."

"I can help with that!" a certain cheerful, yet annoying voice chimed in.

Both Misaka and Uiharu turned back, only to see Mark back on his feet and with that signature smirk sitting right on that over confident face of his.

Misaka gritted her teeth as she prepared to smack him back down to earth, just in case he said something even remotely sexual.

"What did you have in mind?" Uiharu asked somewhat hesitantly as she tiredly looked at him.

"Coffee," Mark stated simply.

"…Coffee?" Uiharu asked with a tilt of the head and a slightly confused tone in her voice. She was almost certain that he was going to make another unwanted advance. But his tone was so blunt and simplistic, it didn't even have the slightest hint that he had a sinister intent. For once he seemed serious.

"Coffee," Mark repeated as he begun to make his way towards the exit.

Misaka raised an eyebrow, suspicious of him already. He was up to something, she just didn't know what yet. "We have a coffee machine in here you know."

Mark just snickered as he leaned himself against the exit door. "What? That crap pot?" he asked as he slowly shook his head. "No Sparks, we're going to get real coffee."

Misaka was ready to object yet again, but held her tongue when she noticed that Uiharu had already gotten up from her seat. Misaka sighed a bit under her breath as she made her way towards the exit. "Fine, but no funny business, got it?"

Mark opened the door, holding it for the two girls, "I swear on my honor, I'm not up to anything."

Both Uiharu and Misaka stopped dead in their tracks, giving Mark a suspicious look.

Mark snickered a bit under his breath, "Okay, yeah that's pushing it… but I do mean it, let's get some coffee!"

Uiharu sighed, "What do we got to lose?" she mumbled to Misaka as she made her way outside.

Misaka raised a brow of suspicion as she made eye contact with the unnaturally cheerful Mark, "When it comes to him, trust me, we've got a lot to be wary about." she muttered as she followed her outside.

Mark smiled brightly as he began to lead them towards the nearest coffee shop, "Trust me, I know the perfect place to go!"

* * *

It was partly cloudy outside yet the rays from the sun had no trouble shining down on the trio as they made their way to the coffee shop. Mark had led the two girls to a small coffee stand on the side of the road, a few blocks down from the office. The stand was cute enough with a banner depicting a smiling cup of joe displayed proudly on its front and a chalkboard off to the side describing the various specials that were available that day. Singular coffee stands were rare, especially in a place like Academy City, to have one close to the office was somewhat suspicious. Yet, it had a lengthy line of people, all waiting for their daily cup of joe, so it must've been legit.

The three of them took their spots in line and patiently waited for their turn to order. Misaka stood near the back, cautiously observing Mark and making sure he didn't try to make any moves on her, Uiharu, or one of the other few girls in line.

"So, how'd you find out about this place Fragum?" Uiharu asked, simply just trying to pass the time as they waited for their turn to order.

"Mark," he responded.

"I'm sorry?"

Mark looked at Uiharu, "I know it's your guys' thing to address each other by last names, but it makes me feel weird, sounds too official," he stated. "So just call me Mark, it's cool."

Uiharu nodded in comprehension, "Right, in America you address others by their first name."

"Yep, although back in New York, everyone just knew each other as 'Asshole,'" Mark joked.

Uiharu lightly chuckled as she focused her gaze back towards the line, which was finally beginning to progress. "Was it hard? When you first moved here I mean."

Mark shrugged, "I was only nine when I got here, so a move that big is bound to be pretty jarring for someone that young, but I adapted pretty quickly."

"You miss home at all?"

Mark again just shrugged in response, as he crossed his arms across his chest, "A bit, I miss my folks every now and again, but we've been able to stay in touch," he answered. "I lived with my grandfather for a bit, but ended up getting a dorm when I got into one of those private esper schools."

Uiharu nodded as she continued to look forward.

After a few minutes of waiting, they eventually reached the head of the line.

Behind the stand stood a beast of a man, with thighs like pillars, and pecks that any body builder would dream of, definitely someone you wouldn't imagine working in a place like this.

"Good morning," the barista spoke, with a voice as deep as the Grand Canyon, and as menacing as a fearsome lion.

Misaka took a glance at the menu, only to quickly be taken aback by the outrageous prices. "Are you kidding me!?" she shouted.

Everyone looked at her with looks of confusion and a slight bit of concern from Uiharu.

Misaka blushed ever so slightly as she pulled Mark aside. "Why'd you take us here?" she whispered with a sharp tone. "There's no way we can afford this!"

Mark just chuckled a bit as he lightly patted her on the head. "Don't worry about it!" he whispered back as he turned back towards the massive barista. "Sir we'll take three Kopi Luwak Supremes, with a bit of extra cream, fine milk, and just a dab of syrup on mine."

The barista immediately lit up, as Mark had just ordered, not one, not two, but three of the most expensive items on the menu.

Kopi Luwak, the coffee beans of which were harvested from the cat like animal known as the Civet's excrement. While its methods of farming sound repulsive, the flavor is unmatched, and it's considered a delicacy world round. So few even have it in stock, but those that do sell it for outrageous prices.

Both Misaka and Uiharu were ready to put a stop to the order, as there was no feasible way they could possibly afford it, they'd go broke! Before they could even begin to object, they were silenced by Mark, who had slapped his hands against their mouths.

"Trust me," he whispered.

It was too late anyways, as the hulking man had already started to brew their order.

Both Misaka and Uiharu could feel their lunches begin to come up as they both nervously witnessed the physical embodiment of their own bankruptcy being crafted in front of them. It wasn't long until it was done and made. They each took their cups and looked up to the barista who extended his massive hand, expecting his payment. Misaka and Uiharu both nervously looked to Mark, who was calmly taking his first sip from his delectable brew.

"Sir," the barista started, "sir, you ne-!" The beast of the man was suddenly cut off as Mark spat out the bit that he had drank and then proceeded to throw the rest down on the ground as though it were trash.

"Yah call that coffee? That was without a doubt the most abysmal brew that I've ever had the displeasure of intaking, there's no way I'm paying for that! Boo sir! I say boo!" Mark spat as he stared the now furious man right in the eyes, showing no signs of flinching.

An ugly silence washed over the area, as Mark and the barista just starred each other down. The man grew red in the face, gritting his teeth, ready to throw Mark across the block.

"How dare you!" the barista shouted angrily, "Kopi Luwak is the finest brew in the world and you just spit it out!? I take great pride in my skills, and you dare mock my most delectable piece in public! I could kill you!"

"Psh, I could make a better cup with your cheapest ingredients," Mark proclaimed.

"Oh yeah? You calling out my skills as a barista, little man?!"

Mark smirked as he took another step towards the wall of muscle, "If I can't make a better cup of joe with your cheapest shit, we'll pay double!" Mark declared.

Both Misaka and Uiharu were immediately taken back, 'what was he thinking?' they thought, 'we'll all be in debt for the rest of our lives!'

The massive barista pulled out a bag of cheap coffee beans, some skim milk, and a half empty bag of sugar. "It's a deal!" he responded with a confident, yet utterly terrifying tone in his voice.

Mark nodded as he began to brew the beans, filling the area with their bitter stench. He poured himself a cup and began to through in the milk and sugar with all the grace of a recently mauled gazelle. It was clear by just looking at his stiff movements and lack of coordination, that he had absolutely no idea what he was doing.

'Dammit Mark!' Misaka thought.

He lifted the now completed cup, which still reeked of the bitter stench of a rough black coffee, and triumphantly handed it to the barista who was still radiating with sheer confidence, basking in his most assured victory.

Misaka was ready to vomit, 'we're screwed!' she thought to herself as she watched the barista go to take a sip of the abomination of a brew that Mark had conjured up. 'How? How can you be so confident?' She asked herself as she glanced towards Mark, who was just as assured that victory would be his. As Misaka thought of the various ways that she would kick Mark's ass for this whole ordeal, she was suddenly taken aback by a surge of pure flavor that seemed to manifest out of nowhere. "S-strawberries?" she muttered to herself, as she continued to wonder where this unmistakable taste had so suddenly come from. It was then, that she looked up, only to quickly make eye contact with Mark, who gave her a playful little wink, as if to say, 'I've got this.'

'Of course!' Misaka thought to herself, 'Mark has the ability to influence one's senses, although he can only make others taste strawberries.' Misaka just chuckled a bit to herself, as she felt her nerves begin to fade away. 'Clever little idiot, I've actually got to give him credit.'

The barista pulled the cup away, and gently placed it onto the table. "I don't know how…" he muttered in a calm tone, "but you somehow managed to bring out such a sweet, berry like flavor from such a simple cup. You are a truly remarkable barista…" he whispered, with a hint of defeat, yet awe in his tone of voice.

Mark smirked as he turned away, making his way back towards the office, victory in his emerald green eyes.

Both Misaka and Uiharu couldn't help but cheer aloud, as this whole ordeal had ended up working itself out. They quickly embraced each other in a tight hug, venting away their nerves and tension that they had developed, before turning around to follow Mark back, ungodly expensive coffees still in hand.

"Hold up!" the barista suddenly chimed in.

The trio turned back with worried looks across all of their faces.

"You two still have to pay for your drinks," he stated as he extended his hand towards them, expecting his payment.

Both Misaka and Uiharu slowly turned back towards Mark, hoping that he had already developed another master plan to get them out of this situation. But when they turned, he was gone, like a shadow in the night. He had just vanished...

Misaka shot her gaze around the area, only to see Mark clumsily bolting it away. "Whu-wait! Where do you think you're going?!" she called out to him.

"See you guys back at HQ!" he shouted back to them as he continued to run as though his life depended on it.

Misaka gritted her teeth and clenched her fists angrily. "I'm going to kill him…" she grumbled as she grabbed Uiharu's arm and bolted after Mark, making sure to tune out the angry cries of the barista as he shouted, demanding his payment.

"You're a dead man Mark Fragum!" she yelled along with a variety of other obscenities.


End file.
